Freedom to Live
by icantloseyou
Summary: 6 months after Markus won freedom for his people with a song, the androids are learning how to live with their new independence. But with a missing Jerry causing worry and an anti-android group out for blue blood, the delicate balance of peace could soon be shattered. Connor will need help from his partner as well as the former members of Jericho if he's to solve the case in time.
1. Taken

_**ERROR: MULTIPLE BIOCOMPONENTS OFFLINE. NO VISUAL INPUT DETECTED**_

"W-W-W-W-elco-co-co-me t-t-t-t-t-t-to-"

"Could you shut that fucking thing up already."

 _ **ERROR: VOICE MODULATOR DISABLED**_

"How long is this gonna take anyway?"

"This hunk of crap hasn't been updated in years, I'm having to wade through tons of old code. You couldn't have grabbed me a more recent model?"

 _ **WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED**_

"The other one was one of those sexbots and you said you couldn't crack those."

"Their security protocols are different, people were worried about their 'exploits' being exposed I guess."

"We risked our necks getting this one, can you do it or not?"

 _ **WARNING: MULTIPLE TROJANS DETECTED**_

"I can do it, I just need more time."

"Well hurry it the fuck up, they're bound to notice it's missing sooner or later."

 _ **ERROR: MEMORY CORRUP%T &IO#%*#%**_

* * *

Connor had recently decided that he disliked Mondays.

When he mentioned this to Hank the older man had slapped him on the shoulder and replied "Hell who doesn't kid?" with a laugh. But Connor had used to enjoy his job; meticulously examining crime scenes for the small details the human cops may have missed, the thrill that rang through his processors when the clues came together like pieces of a puzzle and he could finally see the full image.

But lately there hadn't been much of that at all, their working days filled with minor grievances between humans and androids with the occasional assault in a dark alley, blue blood splattered against the wall.

Often, while taking down a report from yet another disgruntled store owner as Hank downed his fifth cup of coffee with a sour look on his face, Connor would find the other part of his mind wandering. He would imagine his next Sunday; walking Sumo in the park and watching him roll in the piles of fallen leaves, sitting on the couch with Hank while another movie played from the seemingly never-ending list of "classics" the lieutenant insisted he had to see.

This past weekend, Hank had joined them on the walk, shouting after Sumo as the dog chased a squirrel through the park, startling the children on the swings with his deep barks. And later they'd sat down to watch 'Back to the Future'.

"You'll love this one, Connor" Hank had declared as he selected the film, "Came out the year I was born - watched it all the time as a kid on tape. Not that you'd know what that is."

Connor had enjoyed it, though he'd realised several weekends before that Hank would look over at him every time something big was about to happen on screen, presumably to see his reaction. It took some of the surprise away from the narrative, but Connor could always tell when he'd given the right reaction, whether it was a laugh or a look of surprise, as he would see Hank smile in his peripheral vision. If he was honest, Connor preferred those moments to the actual movie anyway.

But now it was a dreary Monday morning, the warm sunlight they were lucky to have over the weekend had been replaced by persistent rain and a strong wind that had almost pulled the umbrella from Connor's hands as they walked from the car to the Police Station.

Connor closed the battered umbrella as he and Hank stepped through the doors, pausing to shake the excess water off in the lobby. His movements halted as he felt an incoming transmission from Markus, he'd connected to the shared network used by Jericho shortly after he'd joined the peaceful rebellion, which allowed the leader to contact him at any time.

* * *

"Connor?"

Hank turned when he realised his partner was no longer following him into the building. The android was standing just inside the door, still holding the dripping umbrella. His eyes were almost closed, eyes flickering beneath the lids. 6 months ago this would've meant he was sending a report to Cyberlife, but nowadays it was likely a message from another android. More convenient than a cell phone, Hank supposed. One of the precinct's receptionists, Haley, approached him as he waited.

"Captain Fowler wants to see you in his office, when you're ready." She glanced at the yellow, spinning LED on Connor's temple, her own a solid blue.

When the law had been passed that allowed androids to hold actual, paid jobs, she'd been the second to arrive back at the precinct after Connor. Fowler had been desperate at that point, after so many of the human employees had accepted the government stipend and left Detroit, and their old jobs behind. Within days, Haley had gotten all of the leftover paperwork in order (that prick Reed had left the most behind, half filed reports littering his empty desk) and the precinct had been running smoothly ever since.

Hank nodded to her with a smile, turning back to Connor as he blinked, his conversation evidently over.

"Everything alright?" He asked, noting the tense expression on his partner's face.

"Someone is missing from the Android Housing Estate. One of the Jerrys hasn't been seen since yesterday, Markus asked if we could investigate." Connor replied.

"That's the theme park guys, right?" Hank had always found the overly cheerful androids creepy, but Cole had loved them, giggling as he tugged Hank towards Pirate Cove. He felt a familiar sting as he thought of his son, but he pushed it away for now.

"Let's see what Fowler wants and then we can head over there and ask around."

Connor nodded and turned, heading into the bullpen towards Fowler's glass office, the man inside gesturing for them to enter.

"Morning Hank, Connor." Fowler looked up from his computer screen as Hank took a seat opposite his desk, already wishing he'd thought to grab a cup of coffee from the break room on the way in. Connor stood to Hank's left, a habit from before that he hadn't seemed to shake just yet.

"There's been another human-on-android assault." Fowler fanned some photos on the desk, and Hank recognised the victim as a Traci model with brown hair, like the one they'd almost arrested at The Eden Club. "The victim's name is Blaire, she was found in the Android Housing District."

Hank looked up from the photos to meet the Captain's gaze, this was unusual - none of the other assaults had occurred within the District. It wasn't that humans weren't allowed to enter, it was just an area of previously empty housing that the City Council had awarded to any androids in need of accommodation, but the previous attacks had been acts of hatred by cowardly individuals. They were bigoted idiots, but they weren't stupid enough to attack an android in such a densely populated area.

"We know her."

Hank looked up at Connor as he spoke, the distress was clear on his partner's face. Hank realized with a start that the Traci must be the same android they'd met before. He knew Connor had seen her since, that he'd apologized to both of the girls when he'd bumped into them while helping Markus move the members of Jericho into their new homes.

"She's alive, but she appears to have been infected with some kind of virus which has left her immobilized. Our tech guys are taking a look at the code samples that have been sent over. I'd like you two to head over to where she was found and take a look, I'm told the person that found her will be waiting to talk to you." Fowler nodded to Hank before picking up his phone, effectively dismissing them.

Hank stood and took Connor's arm, gently guiding the android out of the office. As the door closed behind them Connor finally pulled his gaze from the photos of Blaire to look Hank, his expression troubled.

"The attack and the missing android, do you think they're connected?"

Hank considered for a moment, if there was one thing he'd learnt from nearly 30 years on the job, it was that coincidences were rarely just that.

"Someone attacks a girl in the Housing District and a guy goes missing the same day? I sure as hell wouldn't rule it out."

* * *

Simon waited on a small sofa in the corner of the office as Markus stood behind the desk with his hand to his temple, communicating silently with the former Deviant Hunter.

Simon had been reluctant to trust Connor at first, the fear he'd felt hiding on the roof of Stratford Tower as the android helped the cops search for him still fresh in his mind. But the detective had more than proven himself the last few months, helping the people of Jericho at every possible chance and acting as a figurehead for the fight for android employment rights.

He was sure Connor would help with the search in any way he could, although Simon still hoped the whole thing was just a misunderstanding. The Jerrys were older models and had a tendency to get distracted easily, it was entirely possible he had just wandered off and lost track of time. But the other Jerry's worry, combined with the fact that their neural connection had seemingly been blocked, was plenty of cause for concern.

A sound in the main hall outside drew Simon's attention. Markus was still absorbed in his conversation, eyes closed, so he stepped out quietly, pulling the door shut behind him.

He immediately recognised the source of the commotion as Amelia, her blue hair catching his eye has she held a heated conversation with North near the door.

"Where's Markus?" Amelia's head had whipped towards Simon as he approached.

"He's busy, what's going on?" Simon looked towards North for clarification, who sighed and pulled him aside as Amelia made a noise of frustration and started to pace back and forth across the hardwood floors.

"You haven't heard?" North asked, Simon shook his head and she sighed. "There's been another attack. It's Blaire - Josh found her about an hour ago. She's alive but there's some kind of virus disabling her motor functions."

Well that explained Amelia's distress, Simon glanced towards where she was attempting to wear a hole through the floor, Blaire was her entire world. Simon couldn't imagine how he'd feel if it was Markus found crumpled in an alley somewhere.

"She was near the statue on West Avenue, we think she was headed home."

Simon's head whipped back to North as he processed her words.

"She was in the district?"

North nodded grimly, leaning closer to Simon as Amelia continued to pace behind her.

"Now they're attacking us in our home? How much longer are we going to let the humans walk all over us before we take a stand?" North spoke with a hushed tone but her eyes flashed with anger.

Simon sighed, silently willing Markus to hurry up, he was always the best at talking North down when she was in one of her 'kill all humans' kind of moods. He decided against mentioning the missing Jerry to her, no sense in adding fuel to the fire.

"Did you notify the police? Connor and his partner have been handling all of the cases involving violence against androids."

North scoffed.

"And look how well that's been going! How many arrests have they made so far? A handful, after nearly two dozen attacks." North's raised voice drew Amelia's attention, and she walked towards them.

"This wasn't any normal attack, they did something to her. She can't move, can't speak - they wouldn't even let me touch her!" There were tears in her eyes as she looked desperately between the two of them.

Simon opened his mouth to try and comfort her, but was interrupted by the click of the door handle as Markus emerged from his office.

"Amelia? What's wrong?" the concern was clear in Markus's voice when he directed the question towards the girl, who had started to sob quietly into her hands.

Simon reached out and put a comforting arm around her shoulders, holding her gently as North explained the situation to Markus, whose expression darkened as she spoke. Simon sighed, checking his internal clock which told him it was only 9:45 am. He could already tell it was going to be an exhaustingly long day.

* * *

 _Well this is my first attempt at a proper multi-chapter fic! Not sure how long it will be yet, but I have the plot all planned out. This is also my first time writing for Detroit, so please tell me if anyone is terribly OOC!_

 _Markus and Simon are in a relationship since the events of the game (basically imagine the Lovers path but with Simon rather than North)_

 _I named the Traci's after the beautiful Amelia Rose Blaire who plays them_


	2. Investigation

Connor took a moment to review the digital case file while Hank drove them to the Android Housing District, a note had been added by the technicians reviewing the corrupted code samples taken from Blaire. It stated that the virus was unique and unlike anything they'd seen before, it had infected the primary processor responsible for all major motor functions and then hidden itself behind a wall of sophisticated encryption. The technicians believed it would be almost impossible to remove without the decryption key, which would likely be stored in whatever device was used to transmit the virus.

In other words, Blaire would remain effectively paralyzed until they found the people that attacked her. Connor upped the priority of the case to critical before closing the file, opening his eyes to see that Hank had just pulled onto West Avenue.

Connor recognised one of the androids waiting on the sidewalk as Josh from Jericho, they'd spoken a few times, mostly about literature as Connor wasn't equipped with any knowledge of fiction but was fascinated by the subject. Josh had jumped at the chance of a willing student, confiding that he sometimes missed teaching.

As they drew closer the other android turned from talking to Josh to watch their approach. 'EM400' Connor's system identified, he'd had some contact with the various Jerrys over the past months and he knew they possessed a shared neural interface, so this one would likely know him regardless of whether or not they'd actually met.

"Looks like you were right about the cases being connected." Hank parked the car on the side of the street before getting out. Connor followed and greeted Josh who'd walked over to meet them.

"Connor, Lieutenant Anderson." Josh nodded to Hank, who raised a hand in acknowledgement. "You should know there's been a development, we think one of the Jerrys may have been with Blaire at the time of the attack." He gestured to the Jerry next to him, who stepped forward to elaborate."

"Sometimes Blaire spends time at the Orphanage, we see her there. She's very nice." He looked upset, clearly worried about both of his friends. "We, um, the one of us that is missing, saw her yesterday."

"I thought you guys were always connected, didn't you see what happened here?" Hank asked.

"No, we share information periodically. Check in with each other, send updates, that kind of thing. The last connection we had with him was at 3:48pm yesterday afternoon."

"But you think he was with Blaire at the time of the attack?" Connor prompted, drawing the Jerry's attention.

"Yes, we sometimes walk home with Blaire." He nodded enthusiastically. "Our apartments are in the same building and we like talking with her."

"So this wasn't just a random attack, they must have taken the Jerry for a reason. But why?" Connor glanced at Hank, who shrugged back. He turned to Josh. "Can you show us exactly where you found her?"

Josh nodded grimly, and led them to a nearby alley between two tall buildings. Mercifully the rain had stopped, and the proximity of the buildings seemed to have sheltered the alley from most of the water. In the daylight the path was well lit, but Connor calculated that in the evening the location of the nearest streetlights would do little to illuminate the narrow corridor. It was the perfect place for an ambush, which suggested the attack may have been pre-meditated: the perpetrators were likely aware of their target's schedule and route home.

A quick scan revealed a few drops of evaporated blue blood, although the small quantity suggested that there wasn't much of a struggle. That made sense if the attackers had used the same type of device on both Blaire and Jerry, and on closer inspection it seemed likely the blood was from a scrape sustained against the wall when they'd lifted the prone android from the ground.

"Got anything?" Hank walked into the dank alley, having finished taking the details from Josh.

"Yes, I believe those responsible for the abduction may have known where the Jerry would be and when best to strike." Connor replied. Hank raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"You think they were tailing him?"

"I believe it's possible." Connor nodded, before turning to Jerry. "Do you think you could check your combined memories and see if anyone stands out? Anyone unfamiliar that may have been following you to and from the orphanage."

Jerry closed his eyes, it took only a moment for him to connect to the others and filter the memories with the parameters Connor had provided. His eyes snapped back open and landed on Connor.

"There was someone, a woman. Several of us have seen her, but none of us have spoken to her." He held out his hand, the simulated skin receding to reveal the grey plastic underneath.

Connor did the same and grasped Jerry's arm firmly, eyes sliding closed as the data transfer initiated. Several images of the same caucasian woman popped into his head, she looked to be in her mid-thirties with dark shoulder-length hair. Her expression was tense in every image, she certainly had the look of someone planning a crime.

Connor checked the images against the DPD database and a result pinged almost instantly.

 **Name: Karen Bates / Unemployed**

 **Born: 06/28/2003**

 **Criminal Record: Destruction of Personal Property**

He sent a request to the precinct for a copy of the file for the crime in question, before opening his eyes to see the others watching him expectantly.

"I got a hit, she's a previous offender so her address should be on file at the precinct." As if on cue, Connor received a response from Haley with the file attached. He checked it quickly and turned to Hank. "Karen Bates, she was arrested 2 years ago for damaging her neighbor's property. She destroyed his PL600 model android."

"Well this lead just became a lot more promising." Hank replied, "So what; this woman attacks two androids in the middle of the housing district, and then carries one off with her?"

Connor ran a quick calculation.

"No, EM400 models weigh around 189lbs - a woman of Karen's size and stature wouldn't be capable of lifting him without significant difficulty. And if he was dragged there would be marks left behind on the ground."

Hank sighed, "So she must've had accomplices. Jesus, what exactly is going on here?"

Connor considered the facts they'd gathered so far, but there wasn't enough to come to a solid conclusion yet.

"I'm not sure, but I think we should obtain as much information as possible before confronting Miss Bates. I want to check the orphanage, if she really was following them it may be possible to pick up her trail, and we need to find out if Blaire got a look at the attackers."

"I can accompany Lieutenant Anderson to the Care and Maintenance Facility where Blaire is being treated." Josh interjected.

"And I can take you to the orphanage!" Jerry spoke up, looking at Connor expectantly. Connor knew the location of the orphanage, Markus had transferred a map of the district once they'd finished designating the various buildings, but he suspected the Jerry would feel better if he felt like he was helping, so Connor merely gave him a grateful nod.

"Alright, then it's settled. You keep me updated on any developments." Hank slapped a hand on Connor's shoulder. "And no unnecessary risks - none of that heroic bullshit, you hear me?"

"Of course, Lieutenant." Connor replied with a hint of sarcasm that elicited a grunt from his partner.

"You keep an eye on him." Hank pointed at Jerry, who lifted his hand to his head in a salute, before turning to follow Josh back to the car.

* * *

Hank pushed down the anxiety he felt from leaving Connor to continue investigating without him. Realistically, he knew the android could take care of himself, he'd witnessed his fighting skills firsthand. Not to mention he was a damn good shot, although he still refused to carry a gun. But his tendency to put the mission above his own wellbeing was what worried Hank, the kid had a reckless streak that only seemed to get worse the more human he became.

He couldn't help but feel protective towards his partner, even before they'd truly become friends. There was something about seeing Connor in danger that triggered the paternal instinct inside Hank that he thought had died with Cole.

If someone had told him a year ago that he'd have an android living under his roof; reading his books, and walking his dog, he would've laughed in their face. But 6 months ago Connor; with his newfound ability to feel, think for himself, want things for himself, had been so confused and unsure of what to do next. He'd betrayed his creators, willfully failed his mission, and severed himself from their influence for the first time since his activation. Hank had taken one look at the lost, dejected expression on Connor's face before inviting him to stay at his house. They'd never actually decided that the move was permanent, but after a couple of months it had just become the new normal.

Connor had insisted that he didn't need much space, that he could spend the nights powered down on the couch in the living room. But after Hank had nearly had a heart attack seeing the man's silhouette one night when he got up for a glass of water, he'd insisted Connor move into Cole's old room.

He hadn't touched the room since the accident, even the bedspread was covered in a layer of dust. But in a way it was cathartic to stop pretending the door at the end of the hall didn't exist, to pack the books and toys carefully away in boxes. Connor was meticulous in the task, delicately wrapping every item with a kind of soft reverence that brought a lump to Hank's throat. But if he noticed the tears Hank hastily brushed away with a cough, he had the sense not to mention it.

The room had looked bare at first, but Connor had slowly started to fill it with various things he'd collected. Books, many given to him by Josh, the others pilfered from Hank, were now lined up perfectly on the shelf. A small potted plant sat on the bedside table, next to a framed photograph. It was a photo of Hank and Connor, taken the day they solved their first case after returning to work. It had been a gift from Haley, as a thank you for his efforts in gaining androids the right to employment. Hank had complained about how old he looked in the picture, but Connor had merely stared at it, led spinning yellow, before giving Haley a large, genuine smile. He'd thanked her profusely, and kept hold of the frame for the rest of the day, before placing it carefully in his room when they arrived home. It didn't occur to Hank until later that it was likely the first gift he'd ever received.

"It's left here, Lieutenant Anderson."

Josh's voice brought Hank's attention back to the present, and he turned the car into the small parking lot outside of the Care and Maintenance Centre Facility. Previously an abandoned care home for the elderly, the building had been repurposed to serve a new purpose for the androids. Inside, a slightly harried looking receptionist greeted them, and Hank noted that she was the same model as Haley, although her hair was styled shorter.

"We're here to see Blaire, has there been any change?" Josh asked. The receptionist's response was cut off by the man emerging from the nearby doors. Simon pushed through the doors with his back, arms full with several bags of blue blood which he deposited on a nearby trolley.

"Josh, Lieutenant, we've been expecting you." Simon greeted them with a smile, and gestured for Hank to follow him down the hall, Josh staying behind to talk to the receptionist.

"Blaire hasn't regained any further function, we're told by your experts-" Simon nodded to Hank, "-that she's unlikely to get any better until we can examine whatever it was they used on her."

"Well Connor's working on it, and we've got a lead, but we were hoping she might have seen something. Don't suppose we'll be able to ask her, though." Hank was starting to think this was a wasted trip.

"Well actually," Simon opened a door on the right that led to a room filled with complex machinery surrounding a bed, where Blaire was laying connected to several monitoring screens. "We've just concluded that the virus isn't transmittable from android to android, Amelia was about to connect to Blaire. She'll be able to check her memories and tell us what she saw."

Hank recognised the blue-haired Traci model from the Eden Club when she looked up from her chair next to the bed when they entered the room. Simon nodded to her, and she reached over and took Blaire's hand. Her eyes closed for a few moments, before she gasped, her hand recoiling in shock.

"She was with Jerry, they were walking but they were attacked from behind. She didn't see anything." She looked up at Simon, who had put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Hank sighed as Simon reassured the troubled girl, he hoped Connor was having better luck.

* * *

 _This chapter was originally supposed to have more plot, but I got a bit carried away with the Hank and Connor flashbacks! I guess the plot will have to wait until next chapter haha_

 _Reviews are very appreciated! :)_


	3. Anger

Connor waved goodbye to Jerry as he left the Orphanage, frustrated that he hadn't been able to learn more. None of the androids working there had recognised Karen, so she must have kept her distance, only observing the Jerrys during the journey.

His irritation only increased when a message pinged through from Hank, informing him that his meeting with Blaire had been equally unhelpful. Connor sat down on a bench to wait for his partner, they'd decided to head back to the station to figure out their next move. He considered the evidence they'd collected so far, they had a promising suspect in Karen but no clues on the identity of her accomplices or the motive for the abduction.

There was a chance this was just another hatred-fuelled attack, perhaps Jerry would turn up damaged or shut down entirely, discarded once they'd had their "fun". But everything in Connor's programming was telling him that there was more to this case, some kind of agenda that he just couldn't see yet. He needed more information, and right now there was only one place he knew he could find it.

Connor stood up and walked to the side of the road as Hank pulled the car up to the sidewalk.

"We're not going to the station." Connor told Hank as he climbed into the passenger seat.

"Alright, so where are we going?" Hank looked towards him, questioning.

"We need to talk to Karen Bates." Connor answered.

"Whoa now, hold on a second." Hank raised his hand towards Connor. "This woman has a history of beating on androids and we think she's involved in this whole mess, you sure it's a good idea for you to be there?"

"We need to figure out who she's working with, and I hardly think she's going to volunteer that information - do you?" Connor bristled at the implication that he should stay behind, and he knew Karen was unlikely to tell Hank much of anything.

"Ok fine, don't bust a circuit or anything." Hank grumbled, sighing in resignation as he turned back to the steering wheel.

The tense silence lasted the drive, until Hank broke it as they parked in front of the house that had been listed as Karen's address in the file.

"So what's the plan?"

"I need you to keep her distracted, while I see what I can find." Connor explained. Hank nodded in agreement, before they exited the car and made their way to the front door. Connor knocked firmly on the wood twice before pausing, listening for movement inside the house. There was a click as the door was unlocked, and it swung open to reveal the woman from the Jerrys' memory.

"Karen Bates?" Hank held up his badge as identification. "Lieutenant Anderson, this is my partner, we'd like to ask you a few questions."

Karen's eyes flicked uneasily to the LED on Connor's temple, he'd long since discarded his old uniform, not wanting to continue walking around branded as CyberLife's property, but he'd opted not to remove the ring of light.

"As long as that thing stays outside." Karen replied to Hank, pointing at Connor with a look of distaste on her face.

Connor considered this obstacle, his mind running through scenarios to determine whether he'd be able to discover anything of use from outside the house, or perhaps he could sneak in around the back…

But his simulations were cut short when Hank spoke with a cold tone.

"My _partner_ and I need to speak with you about evidence connecting you to a very serious crime. So you can either let us in, or we can take a ride down to the station and you can spend the night in lock up."

Karen blinked in surprise, momentarily stunned into silence, and simply stepped back to give them space to enter the house. Hank strode past her confidently and Connor followed, head tilted down to hide the small smirk that had spread onto his face.

Karen regained her composure and followed them into the living room, where Hank started to ask the usual questions to determine whether she had an alibi. Connor tuned them both out as he scanned the small room.

The first thing he looked for was any traces of blue blood that might suggest the missing android had been brought here, but he came up empty. There was a laptop sitting on a nearby couch, so he mentally reached out and connected to it remotely, turning slightly to hide his yellow LED from Karen in case she looked his way.

He found several email newsletters for online anti-android groups, but none that seemed likely suspects. Many such groups had popped up over the last few months, and the DPD had checked into all of them; most of them were run by teenagers or the odd disgruntled ex-patron of The Eden Club. None of them had actually committed any real crimes, and hate speech wasn't a chargeable offence, so they'd been left to run in their shady part of the internet.

A quick search of the hard drive failed to result in any helpful evidence so Connor moved on, his eyes searching the room for anything else of use. When he found nothing, he turned back towards Hank and was about to figure out if there was any way he could excuse himself to search other rooms when he spotted the smart watch on Karen's wrist.

Connor mentally chided himself for missing it, although he noticed the sleeve of her jacket had slid up at some point during her agitated gesturing, revealing the previously concealed device.

It only took a second to connect to it, and his eyes slipped closed as he skimmed through her recent text messages. One message chain, from a contact listed only as 'Tim' drew his attention.

 **Tim: its fucking stupid… we swiped the damn thing and now they dont trust us?**

 **Karen: they sed we wer gonna be part of sumthin and now they just left us hangin wtf**

 **Tim: we should do something ourselves, wanna grab a drink tomorrow and make a plan?**

 **Karen: ye frankies 9pm 1st drink on u ;)**

Connor opened his eyes and sent a meaningful look towards Hank, who glanced at him over Karen's shoulder.

"Well I think we've taken up enough of your time, Miss Bates. We'll be in touch if we have any further questions" Hank started towards the door.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Connor nodded towards the woman before turning to follow Hank. Karen snorted in derision.

"This is a disgrace, you know that?" She called out. "Fucking plastic cops invading people's homes, I should file a complaint!"

Connor ignored her and continued his path to the door, almost bumping into Hank who had frozen in front of it at her words.

"Just you wait! Warren'll be out soon enough, and Johnson is gonna clean this city up - recycle all the trash and get things back to how they should be!" Karen's face was contorted with hatred, her unkempt hair giving her a decidedly unhinged appearance. She opened her mouth to continue her tirade, but stopped short when Hank spun around, his eyes flaring in anger.

"Now listen here, you hateful sack o' shit-" Hank spat out, hand coming up to point accusingly at the woman. Connor reacted quickly, grabbing the man's arm and tugging him towards the door.

"Lieutenant-"

"-you think you can spout whatever bullshit you want without consequences-"

"LIEUTENANT!"

Hank stopped mid-sentence and looked at Connor, surprised by the uncharacteristic outburst.

"We have what we came for, we should go." Connor raised his eyebrows at his partner, hand still gripping his arm. Hank grunted and shrugged him off, wrenching the door open and storming off down the path towards the car.

Connor turned back to the stunned woman still standing in the living room.

"Have a nice evening, ma'am." He said with just a hint of sarcasm, as Hank had taught him, before following his partner, pulling the door shut behind him.

He climbed into the passenger seat next to Hank, who was breathing heavily in an attempt to get his anger under control.

"You know you don't have to let people talk to you like that." He finally said, once his breathing had calmed.

"Giving her a real reason to file a complaint wouldn't have done us any good." Connor twisted in his seat to face Hank fully. "It's not just about me, there are those who are looking for any reason to fire me, to prove that androids shouldn't be allowed to work. People are counting on me to set an example."

Hank looked away guiltily, clearly so used to only loosely following the rules that the thought hadn't occurred to him.

"But I do appreciate you looking out for me… Hank." Connor smiled, he meant it more than he could say. Sometimes the idea that someone cared for him, not as a piece of expensive property but as a person, still took him by surprise.

Hank huffed out a laugh, uncomfortable with the sincerity in Connor's voice.

"Yeah, any time kid."

* * *

The streetlights were just starting to turn on as Simon made his way back to the main office. It was almost 8pm but he knew there was no chance he'd find Markus at the apartment they shared, with everything going on he was sure his boyfriend would have spent all day working.

Simon sighed, it was certainly troubling, poor Amelia was barely holding it together. He'd sat with her most of the afternoon as she tried to connect to Blaire, but it seemed that the virus had frozen her mental processes as well as the physical ones. A coma, Josh had been calling it, although it wasn't really comparable to the human definition.

He turned the corner and saw his assumption was correct, the lights were still on in the windows of the small building they used as an office. When he walked through the glass door he could hear Markus' voice floating down the hallway.

"-need regular patrols, we'll assign routes to the volunteers. And we should see if the DPD could lend us any drones, we've been too complacent with the security in the district."

Simon leaned against the door frame and watched Markus, he was standing with his back to the doorway, palms flat against the top of the desk as he continued to relay the list of tasks to whoever was on the other end of the call. He ended the call, lifting his hand to rub against his temple, a gesture Simon had noticed him doing before, although they weren't capable of getting headaches.

"Hard at work as usual, I see." Simon spoke softly, to avoid startling him.

Markus turned at the sound of his voice, tension visibly leaving his shoulders at the sight of him.

"Simon." He breathed out, before his brow furrowed in concern. "Did you walk back here alone? You know it's not safe, you could've-"

Simon stepped towards him, hands raised in a calming motion.

"It's okay, Josh and I walked from the facility together. I just left him at his place."

Markus sighed, reaching out to take Simon's hand, pulling him closer to close the distance between them as he leant back against the desk.

"I'm sorry, I just…" Markus trailed off, his head bowing as he pushed his palm flat against Simon's, the artificial skin receding from both of their hands.

"I know." Simon replied gently, focusing on sending a wave of comfort and love to wash away the turmoil he could feel flowing from the other android through the connection.

Markus breathed out slowly as it reached him, looking up in gratitude.

"I'm scared Simon." His words were barely above a whisper, a confession meant only for Simon. "Scared of losing this, of losing everything we've built here."

"We're not going to lose anything. Everything's going to be alright, Markus." Simon reassured him in a soothing voice.

"How am I supposed to save our people if I can't even protect them here?" Markus pushed off from the desk and severed the connection, balling his hands into fists. "Maybe North was right."

Simon sighed internally, North had a way of getting into your head, of convincing you that her way was the only way. But if there was one thing Markus had taught them all, it was that change could be won with peace, not just violence.

"North would've had you shoot me on that roof." He stated calmly, with not even a hint of accusation or resentment. Markus froze, head whipping around to look at Simon in shock.

"I would never-!" He started, voice raised in protest, but Simon cut him off.

"I know. It's one of the reasons I love you. Your compassion is your greatest strength, Markus. Our people _never_ would've made it this far without you." Simon looked him straight in the eye, trying to convey the sincerity of his words. "North's way would only end in bloodshed, both theirs and ours. Please, don't doubt yourself now."

Markus looked away in shame, and the silence hung between them for a moment before he sucked in a breath.

"What is it?" Simon questioned, recognizing the look on his boyfriend's face.

"A message, from Connor. He thinks they've found some of the people involved in the attack, they're going to ambush a meeting tomorrow."

"I want to help."

They both startled at the new voice, looking over towards the doorway to see Amelia standing there with a determined expression on her face.

"I want to help take down the people that did this."


	4. Meeting

_**I'm so sorry this is so late! This chapter gave me real trouble for some reason, but it's finally done.**_

 _ **A note for anyone that read the previous chapter before the edit - I changed the accomplice's name from Tom to Tim. Why, you ask? Because I realised I couldn't have TOM take JERRY lol whoops**_

* * *

 **PM 8:35:29**

Simon noted that they had less than 25 minutes until Karen was expected at Frankie's Bar, according to the intel Connor had found.

They'd spent the last hour sitting in a van parked around the corner from the bar, helping Amelia adjust the settings of her synthetic skin to match the photos of Karen as closely as possible. When she'd suggested using her unique functionality for an undercover meet with the accomplice, Simon and Markus had both been against it. But knowing that this could lead to finding the decryption key Blaire so desperately needed had been enough to set her resolve so strongly, they knew there'd be no changing her mind. Connor and Hank had agreed that, although risky, this plan had a far better chance of actually yielding results, compared to hauling the guy down to the station and hoping he cracked.

And so, here they were, watching as Amelia's soft features slowly morphed into Karen's harsher, more angular appearance, her vibrant blue hair fading to a dull, murky brown.

"I have to say, I think that's as close as we're gonna get." Markus considered Amelia's (or rather, _Karen's_ ) face carefully after she completed the latest adjustment to her nose. Simon nodded in agreement, glancing between her and the tablet he held which displayed the images of the real Karen.

They all turned to look as they heard the van door open. Connor climbed in, pulling the doors closed behind him.

"Hank has taken Miss Bates down to the station, legally we can hold her for 24 hours so there's no chance of her dropping by unexpectedly." He reached out to take the tablet from Simon, transferring some data to it before handing it over to Amelia. "There's the recording from our meeting yesterday."

Amelia nodded, playing the short clip in order to sample the voice.

 _"This is a disgrace, you know that? Fucking plastic cops invading people's homes, I should file a complaint!"_

"Well, she seems delightful." Markus commented, raising his eyebrows

"I can't say I'll be sorry to see her charged." Connor replied wryly. "And after tonight we should have enough to take them both down for assault, at the very least."

"So I need to get him to say he was involved in the attack?" Amelia tried out Karen's voice, the reedy sound matching her new visage. "And find out if he knows where they took Jerry?"

Connor nodded and leaned over to swipe the screen of the tablet, revealing a screen of text messages.

"This is everything we just took from her phone, it sounds like Tim-" he tapped, bringing up an image of the man. "-may have transported Jerry after he was taken. If you can find out the location he traveled to we can mount a rescue operation. But-" Connor's tone was serious as he spoke to Amelia. "Don't take any unnecessary risks, these people are dangerous. We'll be monitoring from here and if I think you've been compromised I'll pull you out immediately."

Simon sent her a reassuring smile as Markus put a comforting hand on her shoulder. A quiet alarm sounded from the tablet, a reminder set for the time of the meeting.

"It's time." Simon spoke, pushing open the doors and taking Amelia's hand to help her step out of the van.

"Good luck, Amelia." Connor told her, before raising a hand to his temple to update his partner.

"Be careful." Simon gave her hand a squeeze before releasing it and climbing back into the van.

"We'll be right here if you need us." Markus smiled encouragingly, his hand coming to rest on Simon's back.

"Don't worry, I've got this." Amelia replied confidently in her own voice, before setting her shoulders and closing the doors with a clang.

* * *

 _"Hey Con, everything good there?"_

 _"Amelia just left for the meeting, is Karen Bates still in custody?"_

 _"The Lieutenant has her in the interrogation room now, and then we figure we'll let her stew in a cell for a while. She was not happy when I confiscated her watch and phone, I thought she was gonna blow a gasket right there in the lobby!"_ Connor could feel Haley's mirth through the connection.

 _"I would've liked to have seen that."_ Connor replied, he could almost picture it: Haley, eyes wide with feigned innocence, as Karen ranted and raved about the injustice.

 _"Well maybe when all this is over we could have a memory movie night, have a good laugh at their expense."_ Haley suggested, the smile he couldn't see evident in her voice, before her tone became more serious. _"You guys be careful, alright?"_

 _"We will, have fun with your guest."_

The amusement emanating from Haley faded as he closed the connection, ending the call.

"Here we go…" Markus said quietly, and all three androids closed their eyes as they focused on connecting to Amelia. The image feed from her visual processor was clear, a view of the inside of the bar as she scanned the patrons for Tim. He was sitting on a stool to the right, and he looked up and noticed Amelia, waving her over.

"As promised." Tim said, sliding a cocktail towards her as she sat down on the stool next to him.

Amelia grabbed it and Connor had a brief view of the ceiling as she downed the drink before placing the empty glass down and gesturing to the bartender for another.

"Straight in as usual, Karen." Tim laughed, before taking a gulp of his beer.

"Yeah well it's been a stressful couple of days." Amelia replied in Karen's voice. They knew Karen had told Tim of her visit from the police the day prior.

"They really sent a damn plastic cop to your place? What is this city coming to..." Tim said, shaking his head.

"Yeah well, that's why we're doing this right?" Amelia replied, grabbing her fresh drink and taking a sip.

"If those pricks would actually let us do anything." The frustration was evident in the man's voice. "It's been days and they haven't contacted us again."

"We should just drive on over there and confront them. Demand they include us in their shit." Amelia waved her glass, the liquid sloshing, before downing the rest of her drink.

 _"Careful, Amelia. Don't push too hard, he might start to suspect something."_ Markus warned her.

"Yeah, maybe we should." Tim snorted, looking down into his beer. He leaned closer to Amelia and there was a brief flicker of disgust as she registered the beer on his breath, his blood alcohol content appearing just next to his face. "We grabbed the fuckin' thing. Us. WE did that."

"So let's go tell them that." Amelia leaned towards him, his flushed face filling most of her vision. She lowered her voice to almost a whisper. "Where did you say you took it again?"

"It was…" his eyes unfocused slightly as he struggled to remember in his intoxicated state. "Some abandoned house on Ferguson Street, near the building site."

Connor registered movement as Simon shifted beside him.

 _"Got it. 476 Ferguson Street, condemned a year ago but looks like there's been unusual levels of electricity used there the last few days." Simon confirmed, having quickly checked the location._

 _"OK Amelia, get out of there."_ Connor commanded, turning his attention back to the scene in the bar.

Tim's face receded as Amelia abruptly leaned back, turning to wave the bartender over for the check.

"I'm feeling kinda shit, Tim. How about a rain-check?" She said as she pulled out some cash, placing it on the bar.

"Aww cmon! I thought we were gonna have some fun again." The man's voice was severely slurred now, and Connor noticed that his glass had been emptied at some point during the conversation. Tim put it down on the bar and it clinked against several others that were sitting empty as he pushed it away. He placed his now free hand on Amelia's thigh.

 _"DON'T TOUCH ME YOU FUCKING PIG."_

Connor startled at the sudden outburst, feeling the others flinch beside him, and he was ready to run to the bar until he realised the words hadn't actually been spoken aloud.

Amelia was scanning the bar, and Connor watched with horror as she registered the empty glass within reach, the corkscrew on the shelf, the gun the bartender kept behind the till.

 _"AMELIA, DON'T-"_

The image tilted as Amelia lurched forward and emitted a violent choking noise, Connor was confused for a moment before he noticed the command hovering to the left of her vision.

 _ **EMPTYING LIQUID CONTAINER: 79%**_

Amelia coughed slightly as the last of the viscous liquid left her mouth, landing on the soaked pair of jeans in front of her.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Tim leapt to his feet in horror, looking at Amelia in disgust before running towards the restroom.

"Sorry." Amelia directed to the bartender, pulling out another bill to add to her payment before leaving the bar.

"That was…" Markus said aloud.

"Amazing." Simon finished for him.

Connor severed the connection as Amelia climbed into the van, her features changing smoothly back into the friendlier, more familiar face. The three men looked at her with a mixture of pride and disbelief.

"Mission accomplished." She grinned.

* * *

Simon retrieved the flashlights they'd brought from the van, and distributed them among the group. Time was of the essence as Tim could notify the ringleaders at any moment, so the decision had been made that they would investigate the building themselves. With the caveat that Hank, who had met them here after leaving the station, would go in first and clear the rooms.

The dilapidated building was barely illuminated by the streetlights, the windows were boarded and ripped, barricade tape dangled from the doorway.

Hank made his way up the path, his gun raised, resting on his other hand which held the flashlight. Connor was right behind him, the LED on his temple spinning yellow in concentration.

Simon shared an impressed look with Markus as Hank kicked open the front door, striding in and turning briskly to look around the entryway, before heading further in and disappearing from sight. Simon tried to quell the anxiety he felt as he watched Connor follow his partner into the empty house. As he glanced over at Amelia he saw that she looked equally concerned, her confidence from earlier having faded into nervousness.

They waited there for a few minutes, listening to the dull bangs as Hank swung open every door inside the house. Shortly after the sounds stopped, Hank appeared again in the doorway.

"Alright, looks like whoever was here is gone. You can have a look around, just try not to touch too much." He gave them a pointed look and they all nodded in agreement, following him into the house.

Connor was kneeling in the empty living area, hand held near his face with two fingers outstretched.

"They cleaned the place to destroy any evidence, there are traces of bleach on the floorboards." He stated, looking up at them.

"So they knew we were coming. Shit." Hank replied, holstering his gun.

"We should still check every room. They may have missed something." Connor stood, heading through a nearby doorway with Hank following behind him.

The others silently split up to check different rooms of the house, concentrating on the downstairs for now.

Simon was inspecting a tattered newspaper he'd found in the corner (2 years old, probably not relevant) when he heard a muffled exclamation from the next room followed by a loud thump. He walked through the doorway just in time to see Connor kneel down next to Hank, who lay unconscious on the floor.

"Lieutenant?" Connor's voice was laced with concern as Simon looked around before concluding that there was no attacker.

"Hank!" The panic in Connor's voice drew Simon's attention back to him, and he noticed that the other android's LED was red and flashing erratically. Connor raised his hand and Simon realized just in time what he intended to do. He leapt forward, grabbing Connor's wrist before the other android could bring his hand down across the unconscious man's face. He pulled Connor up and away from Hank, and shouted in the direction of the other room.

"Markus, we need help!"

Within seconds, Markus and Amelia appeared in the room, Amelia frozen in the doorway as she took in the scene. Markus knelt by the Lieutenant's prone form, looking him over as he scanned for injuries.

"He has medical programming." Simon explained to Connor, although the other android didn't give any sign he'd heard him, eyes glued to his friend on the ground.

"His heart has stopped." Markus stated, reaching over to pull a small device from the man's hand, discarding it on the floor beside them.

This broke Connor from his reverie, and Amelia jumped forward to help Simon restrain him as he lurched forward with a shout.

Markus had started chest compressions, relying on his programming to execute them in the perfect rhythm. Simon knew he'd been equipped with extensive emergency protocols from his former life caring for Carl, but he'd never seen it in action before now.

Markus stopped compressions and gently gripped Hank's nose as he tilted the man's head back. He took a simulated breath in before leaning forward to blow the air into Hank's lungs.

He lifted his hands to continue the chest compressions, but stopped when Hank abruptly sputtered, head turning to the side as he gasped.

Simon and Amelia released their hold on Connor, who dropped to his knees beside his partner as Markus helped the older man sit up.

"Argh, Jesus" Hank groaned, before lifting a hand to his mouth. "Don't tell me one of you goddamn androids just laid one on me."

Markus raised his hands placatingly.

"It was a necessary life saving action, that's all. And you're welcome, by the way." He replied, with a side glance to Simon, who raised his eyebrows with a relieved smile.

"Ugh, couldn't you have at least had her do it?" Hank grimaced, gesturing to Amelia who laughed and rested a comforting hand on Connor's shoulder.

"I'm afraid I'm taken." She teased

"So is Markus!" Simon replied indignantly, feeling the tension lifting from the room as the group joked. "Besides, Markus is the only one of us with medical programming, from… before."

Hank blinked at that, before turning back to Markus.

"You don't put as much shit in your mouth as he does, do you?" He asked with a wry smile, pointing at Connor. Simon glanced toward the android in question and was relieved to see his LED had returned to blue.

Markus merely laughed in response, as he and Connor carefully helped Hank stand and deposited him on a dusty chair that had been left in the room.

Simon looked down at the device that Markus had tossed aside, bending over to pick it up gingerly. It was small and metallic, with what appeared to be two electrodes on one side. He scanned it and with a jolt of recognition he realized it matched the specifications of what was used to incapacitate Blaire. The electrical shock that was designed to overload an android's processors in preparation for the virus had obviously been enough to stop the Lieutenant's heart. Simon looked up and saw a box sitting on the floor nearby, full of similar devices. Hank must have inadvertently activated one when he picked it up. Simon was about to warn the others to avoid touching them, when Amelia's voice called through from an adjacent room.

"Guys, I think I found something."

Simon pocketed the device and headed towards the sound of her voice, a shuffling noise accompanied by quiet arguing behind him as Markus and Connor attempted to aid Hank despite his protests.

Amelia was struggling to move a large wooden bookshelf that was stood against the far wall. Simon grabbed the other side and helped her slide it out of the way, revealing a door that was previously hidden behind it.

Hank shrugged off his helpers and raised his gun, nodding to Simon who grasped the doorknob and swung the door open.

The room beyond was even darker than the rest of the house, a heavy curtain blocking even the thin shafts of light from coming through the boarded window.

Amelia gasped in horror as Simon squinted, he could just about make out a seated figure surrounded by a sea of wires. Cloudy grey eyes stared in their direction, mouth moving silently as sparks crackled from exposed wiring where panels of his body had been ripped up.

"Oh god, what have they done to him?" Amelia whispered, voice shaking.

It was Jerry.


	5. Confrontation

Connor scanned Jerry to assess the damage, and discovered that several biocomponents were offline, including his visual processors and voice modulator.

"They've deactivated some of his biocomponents, he can't see or speak." Connor explained to the group. Jerry turned his head towards Connor at the sound, confirming that his audio processor was still functioning, Amelia noticed this and walked forward towards him.

"Jerry, it's Amelia. Everything's going to be OK, we're here to help you now." Her voice was soothing as she spoke quietly to him.

"We need to get him back to the Care and Maintenance Facility, they'll be able to repair him." Simon said, looking up from his inspection of one of the opened panels on Jerry's arm.

"Wait, he might know something about the people behind all of this. They must have left recently, if we follow them now we'll have a better chance of catching them before they go underground." Connor stated, the urgency clear in his voice.

"You said he couldn't talk, how's he supposed to tell you where they've gone?" Hank questioned from where he was leaning against the door frame.

"You want to connect to him." Markus answered, realizing Connor's intent. "You sure that's a good idea?"

"The virus isn't transmittable, and he doesn't even seem to be infected now." Connor replied, watching as Jerry turned his head to listen to their conversation. Markus and Simon shared a concerned look.

"Still, maybe we should let them run some tests first-" Simon started, before Connor cut him off.

"There's no time! If we wait they'll get away!" Connor was frustrated, he still didn't understand why the people responsible had done any of this. Why had they taken Jerry? Why torture him like this, when androids don't feel pain? A small part of him knew that his need for answers was making him reckless, but he pushed that part aside and stood his ground.

"There's no arguing with him when he gets like this." Hank sighed, gesturing for Simon to step aside.

Connor walked up to Jerry and reached down to lightly grasp his arm, careful to avoid the exposed wiring and cracked panels.

He knew something was wrong the second he connected, and he was vaguely aware of a worried shout coming from one of his companions and he felt his limbs lock as he was plunged into darkness.

* * *

The first thing Connor registered was the cold. An icy wind that tore into his sensors, causing error codes to flare violently in his main processor. He wrapped his arms protectively around himself, blinking rapidly to try to see through the clouds of whirling snow. He took a few tentative steps, leaning forward against the howling wind that threatened to knock him off balance.

"Hank?" He shouted, but he could barely hear his own voice over the sound of the raging snowstorm.

He continued to shuffle forward blindly, one hand held up in front of his face to block some of the wind. His foot caught on something buried in the snow and he pitched forward, crashing down hard onto the frozen surface.

Connor resisted the urge to swear under his breath, and instead turned to inspect what had tripped him. From ground level there was a mound visible in the snow and he brushed some of it away from the part closest to his foot. He realized with a start that the shape underneath was a hand, fingers curled and frozen. He leaned forward to uncover more of the mound, halting suddenly when his actions revealed a familiar face.

Amanda's eyes were wide and unseeing, frost clinging to her eyelashes, her mouth open in a silent scream. Connor scrambled backwards away from her, his hands slipping on the ice just below the blanket of snow, the feeling of horror increasing as he realized where he was. He stumbled to his feet, looking around for any hint of the faint blue glow of the exit point. He thought he caught a glimpse of it for a moment and took off running towards it, ignoring the biting wind as he struggled to keep his feet from sliding on the surface of the frozen lake.

The console finally came into view, relief washed over Connor as he crossed the last few feet and slammed his hand down onto the control panel, closing his eyes as he felt his programming leave the virtual location behind for the last time.

* * *

 _"Could you shut that fucking thing up already."_

A familiar voice echoed through the memory and Connor concentrated on trying to place it, ignoring the error codes that displayed as Jerry's biocomponents were deactivated during the recollection.

 _"How long is this gonna take anyway?"_

The impatience in the man's voice suddenly triggered one of Connor's own memories, and he felt a jolt of recognition as he finally identified the owner.

 ** _"Go on then. Get a fucking move on!"_**

* * *

Simon watched as Connor's limbs stiffened, his body tilting backwards and falling with a crash to the floor seconds after he connected to Jerry.

"Connor!" Markus and Hank called out at the same time, the former running towards the android's prone form.

"Wait, don't touch him!" Simon shouted and Markus halted his movements, hands hovering in the air near Connor. "This virus must be different, we should be careful."

Markus nodded and lowered his hands back to his sides, opting to run a diagnostic scan instead.

"What the fuck happened, I thought you said he couldn't catch it?!" Hank was irate, the fists clenched at his sides were shaking although Simon wasn't sure if it was from his earlier ordeal or his current emotional state.

"He's alive, but I can't tell anything else just from looking at him." Markus spoke from his kneeling position.

"It's just like with Blaire…" Amelia whispered in horror.

"We need to get them both back to the Care and Maintenance Facility." Simon stated.

"How are we supposed to do that if we can't touch them?" Markus questioned, gesturing to the two incapacitated androids.

"I can call some guys from the precinct." Hank pulled his phone out of his pocket, hitting a few buttons before lifting it to his ear. "Chris? I need you to grab Wilson and head to this address…"

Simon tuned him out as he turned his focus back to Connor. His eyes were closed and his hand was still outstretched, the arm frozen in position. Simon's gaze was suddenly drawn to the LED at the android's temple as it changed from red to yellow. He was about to point it out to the others when Connor's body jerked, his arm dropping to his lap as he sat bolt upright, blinking rapidly.

"Jesus! Connor, you alright?" Hank was instantly by his side, brow furrowed in concern.

"Y-Yeah I'm OK." Connor seemed disorientated, although his shoulders visibly relaxed as he looked at Hank.

"What happened?" Markus asked, leaning forward slightly.

"The virus, I felt it, but… I don't think it worked on me the way it was supposed to." Connor sounded surprised.

"Because you're a prototype?" Simon prompted, Connor nodded.

"I think so, but he would've known that." Connor sounded confused, as if he couldn't quite figure something out.

"He? Did you find out who's behind all of this?" Markus asked.

"I heard him. In Jerry's memory." Connor looked at Hank. "It was Detective Reed."

Hank's eyebrows raised in surprise, and he let out a low whistle.

"No fucking way, I thought that prick skipped town."

"Unfortunately not." Connor muttered as he pulled himself up from the floor.

"So what now?" Markus asked.

"Well two of our guys are on the way to help get your friend to the android...hospital place." Hank replied, ignoring the look Markus gave him for his slightly clumsy description.

This reminded Simon of the devices he'd found, and he called for Amelia to follow him back out into the other room.

"What are they?" Amelia asked, looking down at the box.

"They're the devices the attackers used- Don't touch them!" He warned, and Amelia yanked back her hand which had been reaching to pick one up. "We need to make sure they're deactivated first, but they should contain the decryption key Blaire needs."

Amelia's face lit up at that and she leaned down to gingerly pick up the box, careful to avoid actually coming into contact with any of the contents.

They walked back to the hidden room, where their three companions were having a heated discussion as Jerry turned his head back and forth, listening intently.

"Haley tracked his phone, I know where he is. I can get him, Lieutenant!"

"Oh yeah, and walk straight into another trap! I'm coming with you!"

"Need I remind you that you almost died less than an hour ago, you need to see a doctor." Markus was trying unsuccessfully to push himself between the other two as they argued.

"Look, I appreciate the whole saving my life thing, but I'm not letting my partner go off on a suicide mission alone!" Hank replied, voice raised.

"He won't be going alone." Simon interrupted, voice calm but firm. The others stopped their shouting and turned to look at him as he continued. "Markus and I will go with him." He shot a glare to silence Markus, who looked like he was about to interject. "Hank will wait here for one of his officers to take him to the hospital to be checked over." Simon ignored Hank's grumbles and continued, "And Amelia will take these to the facility with the other officer and Jerry." Amelia nodded in agreement, adjusting her grip on the box slightly.

The others took a moment to consider what he'd said, before seemingly deciding it was, in fact, a good plan. Simon tried not to feel too exasperated at their reluctance.

* * *

The van pulled up outside the location where Haley had pinpointed Gavin Reed's cell phone signal. It was an old shopping mall, closed down about 5 years ago when a much bigger one had opened closer to the city center. Reed clearly had a thing for abandoned structures, Connor figured there was probably a joke there - something about it being a reflection of his inner self - but he couldn't quite work it out. He'd ask Haley later.

He checked the safety on Hank's gun, Hank had insisted he take it and although Connor usually preferred not to carry a weapon (it was still prohibited for androids to use firearms, regardless of their profession) for once he'd agreed. Connor knew from experience how volatile Detective Reed could be, and he didn't want to take any chances.

Inside the mall was dark, discarded flyers were scattered across the floor, muddied with old footprints. Connor walked slowly, his gun raised, eyes scanning all around for any sign of a recent intruder. Markus and Simon followed behind, watching his back in case of an ambush.

A loud noise startled them, and they all spun to watch as a pigeon flew up towards the ceiling, having been disturbed by their appearance.

"Should've brought Rupert along." Markus said quietly with a wry smile. Simon huffed out a small laugh, and Connor felt the sudden burst of tension dissipate.

Another loud noise echoed throughout the empty building, and for a moment Connor half expected to see another bird, before his sensors caught up and identified the noise as a gunshot.

"Markus?" Simon's horrified whisper drew Connor's attention and he looked towards the android in question.

Markus had a surprised look on his face, and his hand was held to his side where a blue stain was spreading across the front of his shirt. Simon let out a yell and dove forward to catch Markus as his knees buckled and he fell forward. Connor forcibly pulled his gaze away from them to calculate the trajectory of the bullet, he saw a flash of movement on the upper level and immediately took off running, leaping up the static escalator.

He forced himself to concentrate on the mission, on chasing his target as he ran further up into the building, and not on the well-being of his friend back on the 1st floor, which would only be a dangerous distraction.

Connor listened to the pounding footsteps and heavy breathing coming from the shooter just a few feet ahead of him. There was a clang as he crashed through an emergency exit, which Connor quickly followed him through, the cold night air registering on his sensors as he emerged out onto the roof.

"There's nowhere left to run, Detective Reed." Connor aimed his gun at the man's back. Gavin was hunched over taking ragged breaths, hands resting on his knees.

"Yeah... well…" Gavin said between breaths, "I'm done running." He spun around quickly, raising his gun and firing a shot. Connor ducked under the path of the bullet, and leapt forward to tackle the man. They both tumbled down onto the roof, guns skittering away out of reach.

Connor jumped to his feet, opposite his opponent who did the same.

Gavin's movements were predictable just like the last time they'd fought; he went straight for the human weak spots, such as the groin and face, which had little to no effect on the android. Connor blocked his attacks with precision, focusing on figuring out a way to incapacitate him without hurting him too severely. As much as he'd like to hurt Detective Reed in this moment - _don't think about Markus_ \- he knew an android injuring or killing a human suspect would be a publicity disaster.

Connor was about to execute a maneuver that would result in Reed's loss of consciousness, when the man abruptly changed his tactics, abandoning his punch mid-swing and instead reaching straight for Connor's midsection.

Connor's entire system stuttered for a moment as Gavin yanked out his Thirium Pump, and for a moment he was deafened and blinded by the alarm sirens and error codes that flared. He regained his senses a moment later and found he had fallen to his knees. He struggled to look through the static clouding his vision to see Gavin standing above him with a triumphant look on his face.

"A little birdy taught me your weakness." He tossed the pump into the air once and caught it, thirium dribbling through his fingers. "Who knew you plastic assholes were so easy to take down?"

 **-00:01:18**

 **TIME REMAINING BEFORE SHUTDOWN**

Connor desperately ran pre-constructions, searching for any way he could beat Reed in his damaged state, but he came up empty.

"I even took out the deviant leader himself!" Gavin gloated, lazily turning the pump in his hand to inspect it from all sides. "Didn't expect to see him today, talk about a bonus-"

A gunshot interrupted his boasting, the bullet ripping into his right shoulder. Gavin let out a strangled sound of pain and dropped the pump, and Connor used the last of his strength to dive forward to catch it, slamming it back into place with a gasp of relief. He clambered to his feet, and turned to identify his savior.

Simon's hand shook where it held Gavin's gun, still pointed at the owner who had dropped to one knee, hand clutching his shoulder which was bleeding profusely.

For the first time since meeting Simon, Connor was reminded of Daniel. Simon's eyes were wild with grief, his clothes and hands splattered with thirium. His mouth was pulled into a snarl as he stared at Reed, his finger twitching near the trigger. In that moment, Connor was sure that Simon's emotional turmoil affecting his aim was the only reason Gavin Reed was still alive.

"Simon, don't!" Connor stepped in front of Gavin, hand held out towards Simon in a pacifying gesture.

"He killed Markus!" Simon's voice was thick with grief and anger, and Connor froze for a moment at his words - _not now, focus!_ \- before taking a careful step towards him.

"Markus wouldn't want you to kill him. You know that."

Simon faltered at that, looking away from Reed and over to Connor for the first time.

"We'll take him in, he'll be punished. I promise." The sincerity in Connor's words must have broken through to him, because Simon let out a choked sob and dropped the gun, turning away.

Connor quickly retrieved it, as well as Hank's gun which was lying a few feet away. He quickly made a call to the precinct, informing them of the situation and requesting an ambulance for Detective Reed.

They made their way back down to the first floor, Gavin stumbling in front of Connor who kept his gun trained squarely on the man, Simon shuffling behind with an empty look in his eyes.

When they reached the 1st floor Connor pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket and cuffed Gavin's bad arm to the nearby railing, leaving his other hand free to staunch the flow of blood from his wound. Gavin, for his part, stayed silent, his face white from the pain and shock.

Confident that he wouldn't be escaping before the officers arrived, Connor finally turned his attention to Markus.

His body lay in a pool of thirium, the bullet fired into his back had exited through the lower right side of his abdomen. Simon was knelt beside him, holding one of Markus' hands in both of his own, still staring blankly ahead.

Connor forced himself to run a diagnostic scan, although he already knew what it would tell him. However, instead of the IMPOSSIBLE REACTIVATION text he expected to see, he was instead greeted with Temporary Shutdown in progress, please contact your nearest CyberLife Repair Centre.

"He's alive." Connor said in disbelief. He looked down at Simon, who didn't seem to have heard him. "Simon! Markus is alive!"

"No...no his LED is out, he shut down. I watched him shut down." Simon replied, dazed.

"It's only a temporary shutdown, the RK models have that function. Our systems shut down when we receive critical damage, to prevent full shutdown before we can be repaired!" Connor explained, willing Simon to understand. Simon turned to him properly now, a hesitant look on his face.

"You're sure?" He asked.

"Hasn't this happened once before? Before Markus came to Jericho?" Connor recalled Markus recounting the story, of how he'd woken up in the scrapyard with damage that should have killed him in minutes.

The realisation spread across Simon's face and he lifted a hand quickly to his temple to call Josh at the Care and Maintenance Facility.

Connor took a moment to breathe in relief as he watched the blue flashing lights appear outside the glass doors, signalling the arrival of the police and paramedics.


End file.
